LONDON, United Kingdom - Iran's judiciary has executed a man identified as Mohsen Langarneshin over "espionage for Israel," the country's state media reported on Wednesday.

In an official statement, the judiciary described the 34-year-old IT expert as a "senior field operative" for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency. It said Langarneshin was found guilty of involvement in several Mossad-linked operations, including the 2022 assassination of Col. Hassan Sayyad Khodaei, who served within the ranks of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

The defendant was arrested by the security apparatus in July 2023 and was held in Evin Prison's Ward 209, a notorious unit operated by the IRGC's intelligence department.

The judiciary's statement also claimed that Langarneshin was recruited by the Israeli spy agency in October 2020, before undergoing multiple training courses and carrying out his first mission in January 2021.

An audio recording attributed to Langarneshin, however, argues that the trial at Tehran's Revolutionary Court was held based on confessions he had to make under severe torture during interrogation sessions. In it, the defendant also cited threats by his interrogators that refusal to sign the Intelligence Ministry's allegations would result in the arrest of his family members.

Ahead of the execution, many activists and ordinary Iranians launched social media campaigns, trending Langarneshin's name and urging others to save the death row inmate.

Challenging the accusations as fabricated, advocacy groups reported that he was moved to solitary confinement and granted a final visit with his family on Tuesday. His parents also published several video pleas from outside the prison, reiterating his "innocence" and "unfair proceedings." 

Second only to China, Iran stands on top of the world's executioner states, according to international rights groups.

Since the 2022 nationwide unrest that engulfed Iran following the death in police custody of Jina Mahsa Amini, Tehran has ramped up the use of the death penalty against political dissidents, protesters, and alleged spies, often in trials disputed over transparency and due process.